Greetings fellow PD listers! From out of the shadows of the peripheral realm of "lurkdom" comes another introduction. My name is Gary Wade and I reside in Galveston, Texas. My 72 year-old father has had PD for 10 years. I have been a list member since its inception and joined to learn more about PD and how patients and families cope with the disease. I have been a professional Occupational Therapist since 1969, and although most of my 22 years of clinical practice were in adolescent psychiatry and adult substance abuse psychiatry, I did have occasion, in the late 60's, to work with PD patients who had been admitted to the back wards of Illinois state psychiatric institutions in the 60's--before there were medications(forms of levodopa/carbidopa) developed to treat the symptomatology. Those folks were examples of "worst case scenarios" and there was not a whole lot of physical relief afforded to them at that time. Medical and rehabilitation science has come a long way since then, but the state-of-the-art for PD patients still has a long way to go. I have learned many useful ideas from this list and have shared my gleanings with my father(he & my mother live in Estes Park, Colorado and all communications have been by distant relay in the past year via mail or phone). I have been downloading and making hard copies of many of the postings to this list and Dad has found them to be very interesting, informative reading. I encouraged him to type a biographical sketch of his experiences with PD so I could post it to the list to garner feedback/responses, etc. What follows is his initial bio. sketch: "Date: April 9, 1994 From: W.D. (Dave) Wade Subject: General Parkinsons Treatment I am 72 years old and was diagnosed as having Parkinsons early in 1984--10 years ago. I have taken the following medications: Artane, Sinamet, Sinamet CR, Sinamet Generic, Eldepryl, Parlodel, Amitryptoline(helps control excessive drooling). I am presently taking Sinamet Generic 25/250(2 pills, 3 X's/day), usually about 30 minutes before meals. I have had no side effects from the Sinamet. I have been on the six pills/day for the past four years. I also have a brother who was diagnosed with PD about the same time I was. He is seven years older than I am. At first we thought that we were looking at a genetic situation in as much as we had a grandmother who had PD--although she was 85 years old when she died and she died of cancer. I was interested in Ken Bernstein's writings about the hormone melatonin and its effect on PD patients as I also have trouble with insomnia. I will inform my neurologist to check on it and see if he can prescribe it for me. For the past three to four years I have been falling down several times/day. I purchased a 3-wheeled walker with hand brakes which I have to use if I want to move about at all. I am still able to drive a car with no trouble, other than having to be very careful not to fall when getting in or out. I attend a support group at Ft. Collins, Colorado. At our last meeting, I was amused at the reply given by our group leader(an internist physician who was diagnosed with PD last year). The question: 'How much does the ordinary neurologist know about Parkinsons?' His reply: 'About as much as any one of the people in this group!' By which he meant, that most neurologists didn't know too much about it. Subject: Constipation I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has been successful in combating the constipation problem. I was a person who had bowel movements on a regular daily schedule and now I can go only every three or four days--and only then with the use of laxatives. I am getting plenty of liquids(60--80 oz./day), I eat high fiber cereals regularly, eat prunes daily, etc. Still, I have to use laxatives. Any ideas of suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Subject: Exercise I have an in-door gym(a DP-2000 For-for-Life) which I purchased from Sears several years ago. I exercise on it every other day(about 30 minutes) and I also have an exercycle. Both pieces of equipment are invaluable for providing the exercise I need. (Son's note: getting out and walking for my father is a bit difficult in that his home is located on a mountain-side and all roads are up-and-down hill--a little tricky with his 3-wheeled walker). My doctor is amazed at the strength I have in my arms and legs. He says it has to be the result of my exercising regularly. I have lost 30 lbs.(down from 195 to 165) but I feel better than I did at 195. Subject: Herbicides & Insecticides--exposure to... Both my brother and I were raised on a farm in Wisconsin where we had a lot of exposure to insecticides and herbicides. Also, my brother was a Plant Pathology Professor at the Univ. of Wisconsin and he worked with insecticides and herbicides for many years. Therefore, I tend to be of the opinion that exposure to these items could possibly be a strong factor underlying the development of our respectve cases of PD. Subject: Other physical problems caused by PD. First was the tremor which developed in my dominant right hand. I haven't been able to write for several years. I use a rubber stamp to sign checks and other legal documents. I also have a great deal of trouble turning over in bed. Also, I have trouble focusing on letters which are close up to me such as letters on a typewriter--which explains the poor look of this tome!(Son's note: I had to "clean it up" quite a bit in posting this to ya'll!) I also have to have cough drops and antacid tablets available at all times to counteract coughs and heartburn which occur without warning. Any ideas/suggestions would be helpful. Thanks for listening to my story. Pardon the length." {Son's note: much of the coughing problem seems to stem from the excessive salivation my father experiences. He would literally "drown in his own juices" if he didn't sleep with his trunk elevated to at least a 45 degree angle in bed or sitting semi-reclined in a recliner chair. Also, over the past few years, Dad's speech has become increasingly low-toned--almost a mutter--and very difficult to understand due to poor enunciation. Recently, he has been going to a Speech Therapist at his local community hospital in Estes Park and she has been helping him considerably. The last few times I have spoken with him on the phone, I have noticed a big improvement in voice volume and clarity of enunciation. Seems to be a useful therapy for those similarly afflicted. ] Well, that's it for my Dad's first posting. I would appreciate any responses and will forward them to my Dad ASAP after receiving them. Pardon the length. Guess I'm making up for months of lurking in the shadows. --Gary A. Wade, M.Ed., OTR --Galveston Island, Texas [log in to unmask] --(409) 772-8884